


The Child

by SeducedBlondie (fallen_angel_ashes7)



Series: Drunk!Incubi [4]
Category: Seduce Me (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alcohol, Demons need to stay away from alcohol, F/M, Mild Language, drunk!Matthew, little bit of gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-17 18:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9336365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallen_angel_ashes7/pseuds/SeducedBlondie
Summary: After their run-in with Malix in the warehouse, everyone returns to the mansion for some rest. Only Matthew finds himself in the dining room with a bottle of flavored vodka to chase away the events of the day.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, friends! For those returning to the series, welcome back to part 4 of "Blondie writes trash fics of drunken, lovable incuidiots!"
> 
> For those who are new to the series, hello and good luck! Trust me.. You're gonna need it.
> 
> Now that the holidays are over, I can get back to this series and the list of things I have lined up to write!
> 
> Disclaimer: Main storyline and characters of Seduce Me the Otome belong to Michaela Laws.
> 
> These are "spinoff" episodes for each boy.
> 
> Idea created by Jonah's bloopers of drunk!Damien and my constant listening to "Just Another Day" whist at work.
> 
> I hope I've made Mom (aka Michaela) proud. *~Please notice me, Ethan-Senpai~*
> 
> Also, yes, I borrowed scenes from the game but I wanted to give them from more of Matthew's POV than Mika's.
> 
> Spoilers ahead for how to get Matthew's ending.

Darkness filled the spaces inside the Anderson Mansion, each resident inside their individual bedrooms. All but one anyway.

“Hmm.. Strawberry or birthday cake..?” Matthew hummed, crouched in front of the liquor cabinet under the kitchen island. His aquamarine eyes were unusually dark as his gaze flicked between bottles of vodka. “Strawberry.”

Slender fingers curled around the neck of the bottle and he stood, unscrewing the top and taking a quick swig with a small wince before he shuffled into the dining room to sit and contemplate the events of the week.

He had a new home, away from the burden of listening to his mothers constant sorrow. He felt awful for leaving her behind but he had to make a new life for himself. His heart had ached listening to her sobs echo through the halls of the castle and guilt racked through him now at the joy he felt in the silence.

Strawberry alcohol hit his tongue again and he shuddered a little, swallowing back to back mouthfuls of the liquid. The raven haired boy wanted to whimper at the conflicting feelings but his face turned to stone as he stared at the wall, the only emotion showing in the glaze of pain in his blue eyes.

***

“Oh, hi!” The young incubus chirped as he bounced into the lobby of the mansion, smiling warmly at the human girl who was allowing him and his brothers to take residence in her home.

“Ah, you’re Matthew, right?” Mika smiled and turned to face the boy, tilting her head and pointing her finger at the short, raven haired incubus.

“Mhmm! That’s me. Are you feeling any better now? We were all worried when you suddenly passed out.” Concern flashed across his face and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked her over. She was really pretty but there was an innocence to her aura that made her adorably cute in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” She blushed shyly, looking down for a moment before glancing up at him again.

“Really? Your face is kinda red. Do you feel sick?” He frowned in worry, nibbling his lip a little.

“N-No, I’m fine! I’m sure of it!”

“Well, if you say so. I hope Sam and Erik didn’t make you upset…” He shifted slightly.

“It’s okay. After all, I did hit Sam after what he did, and about Erik, I just wanted you guys to prove to me what you were saying. I suppose incubi are… real, then.” Mika waved her hand dismissively and giggled shyly.

“Hmm… oh, I have an idea!” Matthew brightened up and beamed excitedly at her. He stuck his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes, focusing his energy to his fingertips.

“Wait for it, wait for it…” He murmured, feeling her curious gaze burn into his skin. As soon as he felt fluffy fur brush against his fingertips, he grabbed the toy and pulled it out of his pocket to present to her. “Tada!!”

“Um, what… is that, exactly?” Mika’s eyebrows furrowed in concern as the tip of the fake knife in its paws glinted in the light of the lobby.

He smiled brighter and opened his mouth to explain, but as he opened his eyes, his words choked in his throat. His face froze in shock as his eyes widened in horror.

“Wait a second… What _did_ I just make?! Th-This is…” A moment of silence passed between them before Matthew yelped. “AAAAH! WHAT IS THAT?!”

“I-I’m not sure…” Mika murmured.

The doll laughed maniacally and Matthew nearly lost his shit, dropping the creature and scrambling backwards as his face drains of color. “G-Get it away from me! It might be possessed by a demon or something!”

"That's not what I wanted to make!! I just wanted to surprise you with a stuffed animal or just something to cheer you up... But that looks like it came straight out of a horror movie..." He whimpered, shoulders slumping as he turned his aquamarine eyes down to his feet.

"Aww, it's okay. You don't have to look so dejected. I mean, it's certainly unique..." Mika smiled softly. "I think I'll keep it!"

"But it looks so creepy!"

"It's the thought that counts, right? You wanted to cheer me up, after all." She giggled and leaned down to pick the doll up, examining it closely before smiling at it. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. It's good to see you smiling. Even though the thing I made still kinda creeps me out..." He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck before dropping his hand. "Anyway, you should come with me to the dining room! We're almost finished with the food, and, well, I don't mean to brag, but we're pretty decent chefs."

"Sounds great. Lead the way!"

***

The incubus groaned and let his forehead thunk against the dining table, thinking about how dumb he always acted in front of the cute girl. He was scared that she would think the same of him as everyone else always did. That he was a child. Just because he made toys to keep his mother happy and always tried to look on the bright side of any situation, he was dubbed a child. All he wanted was for someone to see him for who he truly was.

He felt like he was 2 separate people; the child everyone saw him as and the man that he felt he was.

As another swig of vodka hit his tongue, Matthew found himself taking several chugs of the alcohol as he tried to continue drowning his misery. He set the bottle back onto the table and gripped his hair with two tight fists, groaning as he pulled at the strands. Each thing he tried to distract himself from his swirling thoughts brought him right back around to the same conclusion.

 _'She thinks you're nothing but a kid, Zecaeru. Give up. You're never going to grow up. You'll never be anything more than the Demon Lord's fourth son. The one who made Mommy toys.'_   He growled softly as his brain taunted him, blue eyes flashing gold and he felt his pocket grow heavy.

"No! I can't think like that! I'm not that person!" He snapped quietly at himself, scowling into the dark of the dining room. He felt the war raging inside of himself and he wanted to scream, the pocket of his hoodie growing heavy with energy.

***

Matthew was in the kitchen to help prepare for the housewarming party, quickly slicing up strawberries and scooping them into a nearby bowl. Mika stood close by, peeking over his shoulder and he could feel her heat on his back. Her scent lingered in his nose and briefly clouded his mind but he fought off his instincts, smiling sweetly as she asked him what they would be making.

"What are you making?"

"I'm going to make a large batch of strawberry cupcakes. These strawberries are going to be the top pieces."

"Ooh! That sounds delicious! Can I help?"

"Yeah! I kinda hoped you would!" He chuckled. "Can you start by making the batter for the cupcakes? I put the ingredients and some directions on the counter over there."

He had left her a line of ingredients and a small note-card with the directions on the kitchen island for her.

They worked in comfortable silence; Matthew planning out more hors d'oeuvres for the party while Mika made, mixed, and poured the batter into the cupcake tins.

"There we go! Now we just need to wait." She chirped, turning to smile at the incubus.

Matthew blushed as he turned his attention to her, noticing parts of her shirt and hair were lightly coated in flour. She tilted her head in confusion, however his ocean blue gaze was locked solely on her face as he stepped closer and lifted his hand. He hesitated as his eyes flicked to hers, looking for silent permission. When she nodded, his hand continued forward, his thumb gently brushing over her cheek to wipe off a small bit of flour and batter that had landed there. Mika's face darkened under his touch and they stood there, blushing at each other for a moment.

"Y-You, uh... got a stain..." Matthew stammered a little, still wiping timidly at the mess until it was completely gone. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch but he slowly backed off, concerned that his control was waning. His hand pulled back towards his chest and he bit his lower lip as she opened her eyes once more.

"S-Sorry, um... I got it all" He laughed nervously.

"O-Oh. Thank you." She stammered in reply and he shook his head to dismiss her thanks. It was truly no big deal. He shot her a goofy smile and scrambled to another counter to start working on the other foods, hoping she wouldn't notice he was still blushing lightly from the exchange.

***

Matthew's heart thumped in his chest, aching to reach for the sweet girl again. She eased his pain, calmed the storm in his mind and quelled his conflict. It was hard to _not_ want to be around her all the time. She was the cure to the poison of his soul. A faint, pained smile crossed the raven's lips as he nuzzled his forehead against the table and let out a weak laugh. Her name sat on the tip of his tongue, desperate to escape the cage of his teeth but he held back. He knew the consequences, what would happen if he spilled his guts to her. He couldn't bury her along with him, couldn't let her be swallowed up by the darkness consuming him.

Near silent footsteps crept along the hallways of the upper area in the mansion towards the stairs, green eyes flashing in the din as a body slowly descended the stairs. The incubus never heard the steps along the stairs, too focused on his pain and conflict to notice the small head poking around the corner into the dining room.

The sight before Mika made her heart clench painfully, never before witnessing such torment to a person. She eased into the room, careful not to startle Matthew as she approached. She started to reach out for the fluffy black head, wanting to help in some way.

"Matthew?" She murmured and gasped, pulling her hand back in fear as his head snapped up with panicked eyes. Her own eyes widened as she noticed the wet gathering in his eyes.

"M-Matthew..?" She tried again, softer as she extended her hand again and this time her palm gently cupped his cheek.

The incubus closed his eyes again and nuzzled into her palm, letting out a choked sob as the tears started to roll. There was that bittersweet feeling in his chest again, the aching longing to hold her close and yet the urge to push her away before his darkness tainted her too.

Mika didn't say anything for a long while, standing there in front of him with her thumb tracing over his cheek as he cried quietly into her embrace. She watched him with furrowed eyebrows and a concerned frown on her lips. When she opened her mouth to speak, Matthew wasn't prepared for her words.

"I'm here if you wanna talk about it.. Or if you just want some company.."

***

The day after the party and their first Malix encounter, the brothers woke at dawn to meet outside and begin their training. Sam stood in the middle of his brothers, fending off jabs and punches. Matthew's head wasn't in the training however as he thought of how Mika looked in her dress the night before. She was exquisite and lovely but her smile was bright and.. enchanting. Her personality was so warm and kind and Matthew found himself gravitating towards her whenever his brothers weren't looking.

When James dismissed them for lunch, he didn't have much time to think about food as a white ball of fur skittered through the kitchen, laughing murderously. The young incubus yelped and jumped backwards, crouching at the door to the kitchen and peeking in.

"Matthew?" Mika called out to the boy as she entered the dining room, causing him to startle a little.

"SHHHHHHH!!!" He hissed softly, feeling the floor shift a little as she tiptoed over. As she approached, he whispered to her, never taking his eyes off of the kitchen. "He's in there..."

"What?" She whispered back, her eyes widening as she looked at the intensely fearful look on the incubus's face.

"I lost sight of him but I quickly found him and cornered him in there. I know he's in there..."

"Who's in there..?" She whimpered, her eyes widening as she stared at Matthew.

"That... fluffy killer... thing..."

"You mean your cute bunny doll?" She stopped for a moment, raising her eyebrow as it hit her.

"Yeah, that thing- wait, it's not cute!" He yelped and slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening as they flashed back over into the kitchen.

"What's he doing in the kitchen?"

Matthew turned his serious gaze back to her again, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "I don't know."

Mika started giggling softly at his words and he waved his arms frantically, trying to shush her.

"Matthew, Simon's a doll! It can't do anything." She spoke gently, smiling warmly at him.

"You named him?!" Matthews eyes widened again, shock and horror written all over his face.

"Of course! Simon Tabby. Cute, isn't it?" She smiled innocently at him and he felt his heart thump hard in his chest for her before letting out a defeated whine and turning back towards the kitchen.

"So, what's your plan of attack?" The girl asked quietly, peeking over his shoulder into the kitchen.

"Well, I plan to make my way through the kitchen as quietly as I can and hopefully not get stabbed." He glanced sideways at her and offered her a sheepish smile.

"Sounds simple."

Matthew nodded in agreement before finally moving from his spot and tiptoeing into the kitchen. Mika followed after him, looking curious with wide eyes. He slowly walked through the kitchen, scanning the cupboards and surfaces with a meticulous glare.

"Do all of your toys get out of control like this?"

"No! It's just this one! I don't know why, all my other toys were okay." He sounded a little defeated, defending his work but also deflating a little. Why was Simon such a little monster?

"Other toys?" Mika blinked at him, tilting her head.

Matthew nodded and turned his attention to her, briefly stopping his search. "That's what I do: make toys. I made them for my mother all the time back in the Abyssal Plains to help her cope with her position..."

"Her position?" She urged him on when his words trailed off.

"She's the fourth wife of my birth father. Each of us have a different mother and all of them, except for Damien's, are queens. My mom, though, hates sharing, so I distracted her with toys..." He trailed off again, not necessarily feeling the urge to continue explaining.

"Let's keep looking for Simon." Mika offered, hoping to distract Matthew from his memories. The incubus flashed her a grateful look and nodded, joining in the hunt again.

"Come on out, creepy thing..." Matthew singsonged, his aquamarine eyes flashing around the kitchen again.

"It's name is Simon..." Mika tried to argue but the incubus ignored her statement and began to slowly open the cupboards, sifting through the contents inside.

"Matthew, what do we do if we find him?"

"We stick him back in my pocket a-and... uh..." He looked down at the ground as he tried to finish his thought, unsure of what he could actually do. Could he will the doll out of existence again?

A high pitched laugh echoed through the kitchen, causing the pair to jump.

"GAHHHH!!" Matthew yelped again.

"What the-?!"

Blue and green eyes scanned the kitchen frantically, searching for the source.

"I knew that thing was evil!!" Matthew cried before everything went black. "WOAH!!"

"Who turned out the lights?!" Mika squeaked.

The sound of skittering on tile made Matthew jump, accidentally bumping into Mika in the darkness.

"GAHH- WATCH OUT!!" Matthew cried out as they toppled to the floor, slamming his hands down on the tile on either side of her head to keep himself from crushing her.

"H-Hey, a-are you okay?" Matthew stammered, feeling his instincts flare.

"M-Matthew? Y-Yeah! I am..." Mika replied softly, her own voice trembling.

Matthew's muscles trembled as he fought for control, his eyes flashing gold in the din. He could feel her heat again and smell her shampoo, swallowing thickly and unable to move away from her.

"Matthew, are you okay?" Her voice was soft, breaking through his thoughts like a beam of light shining through a fog.

"I-I, um.." His voice was tense and strained, swallowing hard again.

"Matthew..?"

"S-Sorry... I... uh..." His eyes began to glow bright gold from his hunger but he refused to use his power on her, his muscles trembling harder from the strain. His voice came out as a desperate whisper. "I... I need you to... I-I need you to push me off- I, uh... I..."

"Matthew... do you need energy?" She whispered back and his hunger flared, making him momentarily grit his teeth.

"I-I-I do but I..." He shut his eyes and tried to will the hunger away, but he gasped as he felt her soft hands cup his cheeks to tilt his head. His eyes snapped open as he felt her sweet lips press against his own but he didn't respond, locking his jaw and refusing to feed as the war raged in his body. She pulled back and opened her eyes, chuckling quietly at him.

"I want to give you some of my energy. You've used a lot of it and I'm sure that the energy you took from me was only used for healing. Let me help you."

"I-I, uh... I mean, I really... I don't..." Matthew's voice was tense but soft, desperate to get away so he wouldn't hurt her.

"Matthew." Her voice was firm, her thumb stroking his cheek gently. "If you don't want my energy, just tell me... but I'm offering it to you if you do."

Matthew felt his willpower snap, using the last of his energy to cast the enthrallment spell over her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, leaning in and bringing his other hand up to cup the back of her neck. He let their lips meet again in a gentle but passionate kiss, slowly letting it grow deeper as he coaxed her energy from her. His arms curled around her waist and her hands rested against his chest as they made out.

Eventually, the incubus's spell faded away as he grew full of energy and he slowed the kiss to a stop. He pecked her lips once more as he pulled away and they both panted for air, the incubus reaching up to brush a strand of hair back behind her ear. His heart thudded in his chest again and he wanted to lean in for another kiss but he was unsure if the girl wanted to continue.

She answered his silent question by leaning in to kiss him again, a soft gasp escaping the incubus as he kissed her back. His fingers found the string her ribbon around her neck and he gently tugged it, pulling her bow loose and letting it fall away from her neck to tuck it safely into his pocket. His deft fingers then unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and she moaned against his mouth. Her noises spurred him on to move away from her lips to travel his mouth along her skin and leave a trail of heat in its wake as she sighed in pleasure. His lips were ruthless in the assault on her skin, kissing and brushing over patches of pale, untouched skin along her neck and shoulders. His actions caused her to moan and mewl into the still air of the kitchen, pressing closer to the incubus. Who knows how much time had passed since their first kiss began but each kept leaning in for more as Matthew's lips traveled down to just above her bra.

Matthew felt Mika's fingers tighten in his hoodie before falling limp against his chest as she passed out. He immediately stopped, feeling guilty for causing this kind of reaction from her. He carefully buttoned her blouse back up and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her up the stairs and into her room. He laid her on the bed, making sure she seemed comfortable and leaving her an apologetic note before exiting quietly to let her rest.

***

He suppressed a groan, recalling the taste of her skin under his lips as he looked up into her worried green gaze. Now wasn't the time to think about things like that. He looked up at her in longing, wanting to tell her everything and she saw that in his eyes.

"I don't want you to think any differently of me." He whimpered softly and she leaned in to press her face against his hair, her hand lifting from his cheek as her arms slid around his shoulders in a hug.

"Nothing you say could make me think any differently of you, Matthew." She murmured his name sweetly and he felt another tear escape his eyes.

"I'm a momma's boy. Everyone thinks I'm just a child." He whispered bitterly and she leaned back to gaze down at him again.

"What's wrong with wanting to take away your mothers pain or wanting to make other people smile?" Mika countered gently, making him look up at her with those pleading puppy eyes again. He wanted so desperately to believe her words.

"My grandfather made toys too and he brought joy to everyone he met. Especially me!" She offered him a warm smile. "And he was more of a man then my father. You're the same way, Matthew. Don't let what others think determine who you are. Only you can determine who you are."

They fell silent for a moment while the incubus let the words sink in, conflict dancing in his stormy eyes. Guilt still racked him as he thought back to earlier in the day; the worry, the fight, the aftermath.

***

As she left for school the next morning, Matthew stopped her with a gentle hand over hers, pulling it away from the doorknob. His face was full of concern as he gazed at her with worried blue eyes, his eyebrows knitted together.

"My name..." His voice was soft, almost pleading with her.

"Your name..?"

"My TRUE name isn't Matthew... I want you to know my real name if something were to happen." The incubus gently pulled her closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "My name is Zecaeru."

Matthew gently released her and slowly stepped back, his eyes still glowing with worry. "If you are in ANY danger, call my name. I promise that I'll come and help you."

The incubus didn't release her hand until she nodded in understanding and he shot her a warm smile. Everything would be fine.

***

"ZECAERU!!!" Mika's scream bounced off of the walls in the warehouse and echoed in Matthew's soul as he felt her summoning.

All of a sudden, a bright purple light engulfed the warehouse room, causing the devils around to cover themselves.

"What the?!" Malix yelled but his position did not waver.

"NGNN!" One of the female devils groaned in pain as the light burned into her eyes.

Gusts of wind rushed past Mika, almost toppling the poor girl over. She covered her face with her arms and braced her stance.

As the light faded, it was obvious that an extra body had appeared in the large space. Matthew was as still as a statue; his hood pulled up to cover his face and his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Matthew..." Mika whimpered but the incubus said nothing.

Malix, having regained his composure, took in the sight of the fourth brother and began to laugh hysterically. "Are you kidding me?! You summon the crybaby runt?!"

Malix's laugh was cut short, however, with a gasp of pain and the thud of something embedding itself into flesh. The devil gripped at his shoulder where a knife was protruding, his black eyes flicking towards Matthew who looked unmoved.

"What the hell... A knife?" He snarled and Matthew finally lifted his head, pulling his left hand out of his pocket. He raised his hand, clutching a single dagger with his thumb pressing against the butt of the handle while the blade ran halfway up the length of his forearm.

"Next time, I won't miss your throat." Matthew's voice was like ice, his normally happy aquamarine eyes narrowed coldly at the white haired devil.

Malix snarled again before ripping the blade out of his shoulder and tossing it to the ground. He quickly raised his gun and shot at Matthew, resulting only in a loud clang and the devil staring wide-eyed at his target. In mid-air, the bullet clashed with one of Matthew's knives, both clattering to the ground between the two.

Matthew chuckled darkly and pulled his right hand out of his opposite pocket, multiple daggers clutched between his fingers splaying out like a fan.

"Too slow, Malix. Must suck being an old fart." The incubus taunted, smirking and watching Malix's face darken in fury.

The devil rushed at the demon, firing round after round at Matthew's shadow-covered face. None of the bullets met their target, each falling to the floor with a clatter and a knife counterpart. With each step forward that Malix took, Matthew stepped back to maintain his distance from his assailant.

The remaining devils stared at the scene in shock. They all looked dumbfounded. Eris walked up beside Mika and crossed her arms as she watched, an amused smirk on her face.

Finally Matthew ran out of space and stepped back against the far wall, standing still and throwing knife after knife at the incoming devil and his bullets.

"Gotcha, you knife-throwing circus FREAK!!" Malix growled as he ran head on at the demon.

Matthew stepped forward towards the oncoming devil before quickly forcing himself back again, his foot bracing against the wall behind him to give him elevation and thrust as he flipped over Malix's stunned form. The devil skidded to a stop, barely bumping into the brick wall where Matthew had been just a heartbeat before. The incubus didn't give him a chance to turn, his right hand pulling a new fan of daggers from his pocket and launching them into his back.

"GRAHH!!" Malix cried out in pain.

"Buh-bye, Malix." Matthew purred, tossing a dagger into the air before catching it and hurling it at the back of said devil's head. The knife, however, missed its intended target as Malix ducked out of the way and turned to face Matthew with a look of pure rage.

"You little shit... You think you're all that." He hissed, black eyes narrowing at the incubus.

Matthew pulled another dagger from his pocket and tossed it into the air again, catching it as if it were a game. His playfully cruel expression remained unchanged as he kept his cool.

"Little known fact: I just like having fun." He taunted as if he were the cat who caught the canary.

"That's a load of bull, Matthew. You won't even fight me in your demon form. Why? Are you afraid that I'll kill you as the demon scum you really are?" Malix taunted back, smirking cruelly.

Matthew glanced to Mika, his expression changing instantly as he gave her a worried look.

"Hey... Mind closing your eyes for me?"

"Huh?" Mika's eyes widened in confusion.

"What are you babbling about?!" Malix growled, trying to force Matthew's attention back to him. The incubus, however, gave Mika a pleading look and the tension in the air shifted from warm to ice cold.

"You asked for it, Malix. Now, you're gonna get it." Matthew snarled as he turned his attention back to the white haired devil, his voice carrying a demonic undertone.

A dark blue circle began to form at Matthew's feet as his eyes shone bright gold, his skin morphing and shifting as he dropped his glamour spell completely to let himself change into his demon form.

Damien quickly stepped forward to cover Mika's eyes with a soft voice in her ear. "It's me. Don't look."

Matthew shot his brother a grateful glance before refocusing on Malix, the devil raising his gun once again to shoot at the incubus. Malix's reaction time had slowed down from the knives in his back, allowing Matthew to easily block his bullets before throwing a carefully aimed dagger at his wrist. The injured devil cried out in pain and dropped the gun as the blade dug straight through his wrist, the handle pressing against his skin and the tip sticking out from the other side as black blood dripped from it.

Before Malix was able to pull the blade out from his wrist, another became embedded in his leg and he cried out again. Matthew rushed at his opponent, throwing knife after knife into him as if he was a training dummy and ignoring his cries of pain. He silence Malix finally with a well aimed dagger to the jugular, Malix reaching for his throat as blood poured from the wound. The incubus continued his assault on the devil even after he had fallen over, a pool of blood surrounded his unmoving body.

"Matthew! Enough!!" James's command boomed through the air and caused the younger brother to finally stop.

"I guess I went a little overboard, huh...?" Matthew faintly chuckled but his voice was laced with guilt, his eyes flickering to where Damien still held his hands over Mika's eyes.

"Malix is definitely dead, but you've lost your glamour spell." Erik chided softly.

"It's a spell that makes us look human." Damien commented softly and the brothers turned to look at him. He gave a small shrug and nodded down at Mika. "Like demons." He replied to her thoughts.

As if Erik knew what Damien was talking about, he cleared his throat and pulled out a small vial of liquid, pulling the cork from the bottle.

"Well, not for much longer, princess. Here, Matthew." He held out the bottle to his younger brother.

"Oh, hey! You found my potion. Thanks." Matthew chirped and nodded his thanks, taking it and drinking the liquid.

Sam had found a dirty sheet and covered the lump of flesh that used to be Malix with it, the fabric quickly soaking with blood and turning so dark a crimson that it was nearly black. Once the shortest brother had finished the last drop of potion, his skin shifted and morphed back into his human state. With a nod of approval from James, Damien released a dizzy looking Mika once again.

"Wha... What just..?" She murmured, looking from face to face as the brothers gathered around her. She looked to Matthew and he rubbed the back of his neck, moving towards the door first.

"Let's just get you home, miss. There's nothing more to see here." James murmured before he followed Matthew out of the warehouse and back to the mansion.

***

"I killed him.. I killed him to save you but also to prove to my brothers that I'm not a kid anymore." The incubus murmured, taking another swig from the bottle of vodka to avoid Mika's eyes.

"You protected me. You saved my life, Matthew. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now." She whispered back, taking a small step back and releasing him from the hug only to lift her hand and place it over his on the bottle of alcohol. She slowly eased his hand away from the bottle and took his hand in hers as she blinked down at him.

"Your maturity let you outsmart Malix and I owe you my life. I'm sure your brothers see you in a more mature light now. I don't know what took place when Damien covered my eyes but I don't regret summoning you, Matthew."

Matthew met Mika's eyes again but this time his fear was gone. Her courage gave him energy and confidence in himself that he'd never felt before. Her smile brightened as she saw the shift in his mood, the dark aura surrounding him dispersing like sunlight breaking up grey clouds in winter, and he couldn't help but smile faintly back at her.

"Thank you. I was so worried when you didn't come home and when I saw Malix holding that gun to your head.." His smile faltered a little and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You're so important to me, Mika. I don't know what I would have done if you'd been lost to us."

"You're important to me too, Matthew." She smiled shyly at him and he felt his heart thump hard in his chest as her cheeks tinged pink with blush. "I trust you and I want to be around you all the time. You make me happy."

"You make me happier." He countered quietly with a wide grin spreading across his lips.

"Nuh-uh!" She giggled.

"Yeah-huh, goofball!" Matthew laughed and tugged her hand to pull her close again for another hug.

Mika wrapped her arms tightly around the seated boy and buried her face in hair again, he could feel her breath tickling the top of his head.

"I promise to make you happy, Mika. Always." He turned in his seat and wrapped his arms around her waist, almost pulling her into his lap as he held her close. Her trust and belief in him was more than he could ask for and he was grateful for her support. Matthew made a silent promise to himself as he sat in the dark dining room and held the girl in his arms that he would never do anything to lose her faith in him.


End file.
